


A Long Vacation

by G_SAS



Series: Anthropotale AU [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Big Brother Sans, But I'll see what I can do, Character Death, Cinnamon Roll Papyrus, Depressed Sans, Everyone Needs A Hug, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Human Papyrus, Human Sans, I'm better at the angst tho, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Papyrus Being Papyrus, Papyrus Needs A Hug, Parent Toriel (Undertale), Pre-Accident W. D. Gaster, Pre-Canon, Protective Sans, Sans Needs A Hug, Scientist W. D. Gaster, Suicide, Tags Contain Spoilers, You too reader, at least there's fluff, sans is a bit of an asshole
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-26 08:39:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14398380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/G_SAS/pseuds/G_SAS
Summary: Ness, a busy working man constantly working abroad from one country to another, had finally received his well-deserved family meeting for winter break. Too bad his brother Payton insisted on dragging him for a 'vacation' to a cursed mountain legends say that those who climb it never return.Eh, they were only legends, and he wasn't a big believer, anyway. Besides, who doesn't want to see his baby brother's eyes light up when he gets a victory?





	1. We're Going On a Trip!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to my very first piece of horrible plot. Ever. Please enjoy your stay. Or not, I won't judge.

Ambient, golden light from the sunset was filtering down from the sky above. The dim, lustrous glow outlined the structure of his destination - his childhood home, where he and his brother would occasionally visit for the holidays. He sighed with relief at the sight. It was finally Winter break, and that meant he had the chance to see his parents again. He might as well make some kind of casserole for the family, and insist Payton not to make any culinary abominations. Again.

He supposed he should be grateful for him, though. Payton had offered to set up their Christmas tree along with decorations in the house, declaring that he was better at it anyway. But he had insisted that Ness do at least one job to “Instill a holiday spirit for my lazy brother.” Holiday spirit. Heh. Why couldn’t Christmas decorations just magically appear on their own? He was a busy man, god damn it, and he wanted a break.

The 24 year-old huffed and opened the door to be greeted by the warming atmosphere from the fireplace inside, flaming shades of red and orange meeting his ice blue eyes. It reminded him of one time he worked in Sweden, and was mistaken as a native himself. It's 204X, though, and genetic mutations were no longer that much of a rare occurence. So his parents having brown hair while his brother having a very light blonde colour (but not totally white like his) was not surprising. The same goes to eye and skin colour, although there was nothing strange coming from them.

Technology didn't advance as much as people in the past had expected. Phones and everyday objects were still pretty much the same, but there were some 'noticeable changes' according to what his mother had told him, with hoverboards being more affordable and more common on the streets along with beds becoming even more comfortable than ever. Sigh. It sounded way more interesting to stay in bed for the whole break.

“...I'm home,” he called to no one in particular, taking off his coat and hanging it on one of the hooks on the wall, leaving him in a nice buttoned-up shirt with a red ribbon tied around its collar. An exasperated voice responded after a moment from the direction of the living room.

“Ness! It has been 2 hours past the time we promised to meet each other! Where have you been, you lazy bones?”

“The flight delayed an hour. Pretty strange coming from Europe, huh? Besides, I went to buy some groceries. I was planning to cook us something.”

Ness waited for a response. When there wasn’t one at first, he started to sweat. Was Payton upset he wasn't going to help him decorate the house?

Suddenly his expression surprised Ness. He looked almost like he was on the verge of tears, and he could have sworn he saw stars in his eyes.

“B-Bro, what's wrong?”

“N-Nothing!” Payton furiously wiped a few tears from his eyes.

“It's just that...This is the first time you've offered to do something other than laze around! I’m so proud of you, brother!”

“Heh, I don't really think it's something big.”

“Shut up Ness, just let me just have this moment.”

Ness chuckled, feeling slightly guilty of himself. He had never tried to help his brother anything, did he? And even if he did, he just half-assed his way through everything.

“Anyway! You start your thing and I'll wait to surprise Mom and Dad. Then we'll take a trip to that mountain I was talking about the whole year!”

"Uhhh, hate to cut it to you, P, but I don't think it's a good idea to go anywhere near that mountain. Especially the hole, if the legends are true."

"It will be just a short 'vacation', it won't take very long! But if you really don't want to go, then I will walk up there myself."

Ness hesitated, before he gave out a sigh. Even though that kid who climbed the mountain decades ago - Mount Ebott, was it? - never returned, he highly doubted there were actually monsters or mythical creatures in there. There were only legends, and he wasn't a big believer, anyway. Besides, who doesn't want to see his baby brother's eyes light up when he gets a victory?

"Alright bro, I'm coming with ya."

A couple of hours later Payton was already setting up the table after having done the decorations, as Ness finished up his dish of Tariflette, a potato gratin with onions - along with several other vegetables, for Payton's sake - and bacon covered in melted 'Reblochon' cheese, which he had learnt to make during a stay in France, just in time as his parents received a welcoming surprise from Payton.

The two brothers, along with their family, sat down and enjoyed the meal. It wasn't bad, really good even, but he probably wouldn't cook it again for a long time, considering how many dishes and pans he had to clean afterwards. The other three were definitely savouring the cheesy flavours swirling within their mouths, though, so that's a plus for him. After their dinner, Payton decided he would clean up the rest of the dishes, allowing him to finally head upstairs to unpack his luggage and flop himself for a nap. The cooking sure took a lot out of him.

He was woken up later by loud, harsh knocks on his door. It was probably Payton nagging to hike that damned mountain with him. Ness stretched on his mattress and opened his eyes ever-so-slightly.

"-ss? Ness!"

" 'm up, bro, just gimme a minute, okay?"

"Okay, brother! I will be waiting downstairs! To Mount Ebooooootttttttt...." His voice gradually faded, assuming he made his way downstairs while drawling his speech playfully. Welp. No need to make his bro waiting.

  
"There! That's the one!" Payton, now wearing a fur-lined jacket over his 'Cool Dude' t-shirt, an ugly bandana with a six-pack on it around his neck (seriously, who gave him that bandanna?), and red rubber boots, pointed at the legendary Mount Ebott. It happened that it wasn't very far from home, but since Ness hadn't heard of it before, he assumed it was given said name not so long ago, after the incident in 201X. He was lost in his thoughts before he was pulled back to reality by his brother tugging his arm into a run.

"Whoa, hey, Payton! Slow down, bro!" He could barely keep up with him; Payton was a very athletic boy, with experience from many kinds of sports, including basketball, skateboarding, gymnastics, boxing (he just noticed he was wearing boxing gloves), and running was no exception. By the time he had stopped in front of the infamous entrance on the top of the mountain, Ness was trying to catch his breath while Payton barely broke a sweat.

Payton, noticing the condition of his brother, gave him a bit of time to recollect himself. Then he proceeded to walk closer to their destination, exploring it out of curiosity. "Wowie! The rumours are true! There actually is a hole in the mountain!", he exclaimed with excitement, as Ness watched him closely, warning him not to do anything dangerous. After a minute of making sure he probably won't do something stupid, he finally gave in and preparing himself for a quick nap beside a tree nearby. Payton however, being a brave boy he was, jumped straight down into the hole, just because he wanted to explore underneath, and maybe with the fact that he can. Ness watched with his mouth agape, could not believe what he just did.

God damn it Payton.

Ness walked slowly towards where his brother had jumped, looking down into the depths of what one could even call it the abyss. Absolutely nothing could be seen from where he stood, and with the still-clear image of Payton in that very same void, it made his spine shiver.

"Payton? Bro?" Ness tried to make a better view of the hole, hoping he could see even a single trace of his brother being alive. But before he realized his attempts were to no avail, one of his white trainers caught a vine on the very edge of the entrance.

No.  
Nononononono!

He had tripped over, and now he was falling under the depths of the mountain.  
To who knows what's down there.  
And Ness could do nothing to prevent this.

This is it.  
This is where he dies.

And no one would find him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ness: Don't do anything stupid, bro.  
> Payton: *jumps into the hole*  
> Ness: God dammit Payton.
> 
> I'm not much of a writer, so Kudos are appreciated, and criticism is very welcome. Also I zero proof-read this, so it might be pretty lame for my first try...


	2. Is This The Real Life?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Payton owies before wowies.
> 
> Ness internally screams while also being dead inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Golly, how does one read their own work without internally cringing? At least I proof-read this one though.
> 
> Warnings for very subtle fontcest, in case if one counts it as so and gets triggered real easily.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy...?

 

> **H u m a n.**  
>  **Don't you know how to greet a new pal?**  
>  **Turn around and shake my hand.**

In a mysterious mountain no one dared to go near, two brothers laid on the bottom of its pitfall. One of them, the younger brother to be exact, gave out quiet mumbles of pain. "Owie...", he slurred before he willed himself to get up, using his gloved hands for support. Once he had found his balance on his feet, he looked up, surprised. Silver moonlight showered upon him and the motionless figure of his brother, with faint flakes of snow, silver and dark, falling obliquely and landing onto the bed of golden flowers they had landed. It would be a somehow stunning sight if it weren't for the pain he later felt on his knees and forearms.

How long had he been here, for frostbites to start taking a toll on him? Not only were they on his knees and arms, he had realized, they were on the entire front side of his body. His stomach, his legs, his shins, even his right side of his face burned! Payton groaned, trying not to give in to the throbbing pain, and tried to lift his brother to a warmer area out of the snow. He must had some frostbites from laying down on the snow too, he assumed.

After a number of attempts to lift Ness even a single inch off the ground before giving up and deciding to drag him on the floor, Payton wiped the snow off of his still unconcious brother, careful not to damage his naturally delicate skin. Half of his face was already covered with a huge bruise, and if he had damaged it any further, his stomach would turn at the sight of his skin tearing apart.

Payton looked up at the hole above once again. God, he was so stupid. If he had only listened to Ness instead of jumping down into deep hole just because he was curious (and because he can, he admitted), they wouldn't end up both trapped underground, with no chance of return anytime soon. It was all his fault. Always making people around him miserable. No wonder no one liked him, wanted to be his 'friend' in college. Before he dropped out of school, that is. Ha ha. 'Dropped'. Because they dropped into the mountain? Get it?

Sigh.

Seems like he was also horrible at making jokes. It was more of Ness' thing anyway.

Looking back at Ness, he was still not waking up. A sense of dread entered his mind, worrying if he's going to wake up at all. Payton sat down, no intention of moving, knees curled up to his chin, and clamped his eyes shut while trying not to cry. He had failed, though, as he felt tears start to fall down his cheeks and unable to hold a sob.

 _It's his fault._  
_All his fault._  
_His fault_  
_Hisfaulthisfaulthisfaulthisfault-_

"...Payton?"

He turned to the voice. A small grumble came out of Ness, signaling he was still alive. A wave of relief flushed though the younger brother. If Ness hadn't made a sound for one more second, he might as well had a panic attack.

"Bro...are you crying?"

"Only a little!" Payton wiped his tears, just as furiously as the first time Ness had offered to cook.

"I thought I almost lost you...You were lying still for such a long time -sniff- brother! I'm sorry I jumped down the hole I know I should have listened to you before I do anything stupid and now we had gotten into this mess _andit'sallmyfalutImsorryImsorryImsorry_ \---"

"I woke up before you. Just too lazy to move and fell asleep again."

Payton stopped his stream of apologies and blinked one. Then twice. And thrice to confirm that he heard that right. Woke up? And fell asleep? Right in the snow? And left him to worry about _nothing_?

"Argh, you are impossible!" He threw his hands up, spun around his heels and pretended he was about to leave his brother alone.

"I'll take that as a compliment. Heheh..."

Ness attempted to steady himself up before he fell again and asked Payton for support, which of course, he agreed to help. Unlike his brother, Ness was far more vulnerable to injuries, and a bad frostbite was enough to make him collapse. He didn't have to worry much about his condition though, as his job as a consultant was safe enough.

Until now, that is.

Too bad he wasn't prepared for this.

Now, with his arm wrapped around the stronger's back of his neck, Ness could at least wobble his legs onto the ground covered with golden flowers - which again was covered with thick snow from the surface - and looked up. It wasn't a dream; they really had fallen down, hadn't they? And a big one too. He could only wonder how they had survived that. Maybe it was the flowers that had broken their fall? Either way, seeing such a high cliff from where they were now, climbing out of the mountain was impossible, he decided. With no other option than to go the other way, which was even deeper into the caves, Ness and his brother started to walk.  
Oh boy. This was going to be a long way from home. He could already imagine their mom dropping a unit of F-Bombs once they got home.

Heheh. 'Dropping'. Because they dropped into the mountain.

Payton would hate this pun.

Only a few steps were made when he felt his phone vibrating, and singing out his ringtone.  
_'Is this the real life?_  
_Is this just fantasy?_  
_Caught in a landslide_  
_No escape from reality...'_

Despite the circumstances he and his bro were in right now, Ness couldn't help but laugh. He had set this retro song as a ringtone because he felt it was so relatable to his 'dead inside' persona. But now? It fitted this situation a thousand times more perfectly. Hell, even the 'caught in a landslide' fit if he counted falling down a hole as one. Literally.

Just as he was about to answer, he was a second too late before the phone call died down into a missed call. It was Mom, his phone had written. She was probably worried sick about them. Better call back as soon as possible.

_Ring, ri --_

'We're sorry, the number you have dialed is not in service at this time."

Well shit. There's no signal here.

They kept walking, passing an empty field of grass (how did grass grow without any light? It was way too dark!) and into a mysterious gate, which seemed to be made of really, really old stone. Had someone built the gate here? And why of all places? Regardless of the questions in their head, the dark entrance gave them an eerie feeling, with their lack of knowledge of what laid beyond. Still, they kept walking.

Of all the horrible things that the two could possibly imagine would happen, the next room was an astonishing view. Purple brick walls with a stone floor and ceiling made up the spacious room. Two pillars held stable on each side, along with two staircases flowed from the floor up to a raised platform at the end of the room. Another empty doorway, flanked by vines, stood vigil over the end of the room. Scarlet, crunchy leaves scattered across the floor, warming them up with a cozy reminder of autumn.

Payton couldn't help but squeal, stars lighting up his eyes again. That made Ness chuckle. It wasn't often that Payton's eyes would beam like that, but this was the second time he had done it in a row. The young man kicked the leaves playfully, while also being careful not to hurt Ness by accident. Dragging him into this mess was more than enough, so better not make things worse, right?

After a few minutes of idling in the room, the two finally made the decision to move on. "Brother, are you feeling a bit better now?", Payton asked calmly when they took the first step onto the staircase. "Yeah...Maybe...I think I can walk for now." Ness' answer was hesitant. Sure, he was hurt pretty bad, but not so bad that he needed a whole wheelchair to carry him. He knew how to endure a bit of pain.

"Well, I was about to let you walk on your own if you feel better already, but since I notice a hint of uncertainity in your voice..." Payton sweeped his brother's small frame off the floor and into his arms with ease, carrying him bridal-style."...You might as well be my bride~!" He teased, and immediately started running up the staircase on the right side, letting out loud 'Hahaha's all the way to the next room.

Ness was internally screaming. Damn him and his height...or lack thereof. He hated being in this position. Not only it was humiliating of his short height, but also attracted people, which made the former even worse. He was still blushing until the other stopped on his track. He turned to face what's ahead of them. A wall of huge spikes blocked their path to the next door, leaving them stuck in the long hallway.

'Welp.' Ness narrated for his brother. 'What now?'  
(Update soon)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ness' retro ringtone is 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by Queen.
> 
> In case you don't know, Flowey hadn't existed in their time yet. Not until later, anyway.
> 
> The next chapter would probably be up in a week. Thanks for reading!


	3. Why Does Ness Have Random Things in His Pocket?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Payton forgets about the frostbites. Ness draws his first dust.

 

 

 

> _THE KING RELEASED A MANDATE ON PUZZLES RECENTLY._  
>  _HE THINKS SPIKES ARE INEFFECTIVE AND HAZARDOUS TO KIDS._  
>  _BUT I THINK HE'S WRONG!!!_  
>  _KIDS LOVE DEADLY SPIKES!!!_

  
Payton spaced out at the sight of the enormous spikes, unsure what to do. If they turn back now, there would be no way they could climb all their way up to the surface without falling; who knows if those flowers would be strong enough to support them again? Instead, he looked. To the right, nothing. To the left, nothing.

Or was there something?  
It was a lever.  
Looking more on the back, there were three levers, settled on the wall.

  
How could he not notice that earlier?

Payton bit his lip, ashamed of himelf, as he placed Ness down beside the wall. "Wait here for a moment, my love.", he instructed his brother, not forgetting to add a romantic tone, and strided across the room to pull each of the levers.

It turned out the last lever needn't to be pulled in order to deactivate the spikes, which he was grateful for. He was highly tolerant to pain, frostbites in particular, but after some time the feeling started to get quite annoying for him. Walking back and forth seems to trigger it, but he couldn't stay in one place forever, it was his nature.

That aside, reaching the end of the room, he saw Ness standing in his usual casual self. Good. Another thing he was grateful for. Ness was pretty heavy considering his height.

He should start limit his brother's regularity to Subway.

Does the underground have Subway?

"Heya." This time Ness started, "You did it. Proud of ya bro. Anyway, let's go. I don't wanna be carried around like a bride, even though you definitely deserve one." He nervously chuckled, the image of his brother pretending to marry someone still clear in his mind. He turned on his heel and continued their journey through the underground.

Brick after brick, vine after vine and a sign they didn't bother to read, their next stop was another blockage of spikes just as tall as the last room's. They were arranged in tiles, probably meant to be a hidden pathway to cross the water underneath.

"You know..." said Ness, "I never thought these spikes would be..."

His voice granted Payton some time to prepare for a bad joke. It wasn't enough.

" _Sharpie-ning_ my survival skills." He pulled a black Sharpie pen out of a pocket of his hoodie, showing it with his signature shit-eating grin. Payton let out some indescribable noises when he heard it. He didn't hate puns - he likes them, actually - but Ness just makes the worst ones in the worst times, way too often. Like this.

"Ness, now is not the time for your artrocious puns!"

"What? Are my jokes not _ultra-fine_ for your taste?" He idly poked the Sharpie onto one of the spikes. His one and only audience groaned once more.

"Okay, okay, no more puns, got it. Now what do we do...?" The two started considering their options. They could try stepping the tiles and hoped it would deactivate, but does it worth the risk? One wrong move, and they would get impaled and die. That's probably too risky, they evaluated, so another way to get past was needed.

They decided to swim across.

Entering the next room, there was nothing but a long hallway. The next door was nowhere to be seen as the shadow loomed over their farsight. Ness stood his guard, wary of any possible traps hidden beside the walls or the floor. Thus, he started walking.

His brother, however, was a carefree young man. Seeing the long pathway he started dashing with his arms straight behind, replicating one of those ninja cartoons he had used to watch in his childhood. He didn't forget to add some kind of battle cry for added passion as well.

"There! No traps are present in this ridiculously long hallway! Except just a pillar at the end of the room...which does absolutely nothing!" Payton shouted across the room after merely 10 seconds of running. Ness sighed reassuringly and gave him a genuine smile.

"Comin' bro."

His brother was so cool.

Onward to their adventure they went. More vines and autumnal flowers decorated the all-purple walls, pleasant to their eyes. They took a small break crinkling through the leaves, it filled Ness with a little more patience for their way back home. He had thought the underground would be a monsterous cave, with predators chasing their lives for a good quality meal. Maybe he was wrong.

Speaking of monsters and predators, seeing a complex of buildings convinced him the existence of actual monsters, but he hadn't seen a single one yet. Were live monsters a thing after all?

That was when they bumped into a frog.  
It wasn't any kind of frog they had ever seen before, too. This one was plain white, with an unrecognizable symbol on their body.

  
Was that a monster supposed to look like?

"Wowie!" Payton beamed, stars appearing in his eyes for the third time (or was it fourth? Ness couldn't remember). "Monsters ARE real! And look at this one! They're so cute, Ness!" The frog didn't seem to understand anything they said, but he noticed a blush on its face when Payton complimented.

The frog, apparently, could summon another tiny frog identical to its larger self. The tiny frog leaped randomly from one place to another, and Payton found it even more adorable. When it approached him, however, it hit his face, making him exclaimed in pain.

" 'sup, froggit?" Now Ness stepped in, his face slightly more agressive than before. "I would really appreciate it if you hadn't hurt my bro. But hey! It's just one time, right?" He pulled out a toy knife from his pocket.

" **A bad time.** "

And just like that, he swiftly lowered his arm into a stab. The froggit winced, and then his face morphed into a shock, before it slowly turned into dust.

"Uhhhh..." The attacker slowly turned to his brother, whose face was that of disapproval.

"Whoops."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School hasn't even started yet and it's already killing me LOL.
> 
> Updates will not be set into a routine, so the consistency of them will be unstable. I hope you can forgive me for that.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
